Special Marine Warning for North Carolina Coastal Waters Near Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Inlet
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for coastal North Carolina waters until 6:15 AM EDT due to severe thunderstorms, 40-knot wind gusts, and potential waterspouts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- North Carolina Coastal Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Newport/Morehead City NC
Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in North Carolina Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City NC has issued a Special Marine Warning (NWS Alert Code: MAW) for coastal and offshore waters in North Carolina. The alert was issued at 5:10 AM EDT and remains in effect until 6:15 AM EDT.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions:
- South of Oregon Inlet NC to Cape Hatteras NC out to 20 nm
- South of Cape Hatteras NC to Ocracoke Inlet NC out to 20 nm
- Waters from Oregon Inlet to Cape Hatteras NC from 20 to 40 nm
- Waters from Cape Hatteras to Ocracoke Inlet NC from 20 to 40 nm
- Waters from Ocracoke Inlet to Cape Lookout NC from 20 to 40 nm
Specific locations impacted include Diamond Shoals.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the warning area should move to safe harbor immediately. Gusty winds and high waves are expected to create dangerous conditions. Thunderstorms can produce sudden waterspouts, which can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas. Seek safe harbor immediately to avoid these hazards.
Expected Conditions
According to radar data, severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts were located along a line extending from 8 nm east of Diamond Shoals to 32 nm southeast of 14 Buoy. These storms are moving northeast at 30 knots. Expected hazards include:
- Waterspouts: Capable of overturning vessels.
- Wind: Gusts up to 40 knots.
- Seas: Suddenly higher waves and locally hazardous sea conditions.
Timeline
The warning is effective immediately as of 5:10 AM EDT on March 16, 2026. The alert and the expected hazardous conditions are scheduled to expire at 6:15 AM EDT.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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